Two million extra books for English schools
Sunday, 08 Jun 2008 09:13
New charity scheme to deliver two million extra books to schools in England unveiled
A new scheme to deliver two million extra books to schools in England has been unveiled.
Booktrust plans to present a free book to every five-year-old and 11-year-old across the nation by Christmas this year.
The £4 million initiative is supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and will allow children to choose their free book from a list of 12.
Free poetry anthologies are also set to be handed out to pupils.
Booktrust said they hoped the scheme would encourage year seven pupils to read independently.
The charity's director Viv Bird said the scheme would help maintain children's reading levels as they made the "difficult transition" from primary to secondary education.
"Booktrust is delighted to be responsible for putting over a million books into homes and sparking children’s interest in reading," she said.
"The Booktime book and Booked Up books on the list have been chosen with great care to encourage the simple enjoyment and pleasures of reading among five and 11-year-olds when they start at primary and secondary school which, for some, can be a stressful time in their lives."